Crystal River current., 1887-08-27

and we'll put together, but with a GER
tain patronizing manner which was
very exasperating at times. A fine
town house, large interests in railroad
companies, banks, ETC., in connection
with his thirty-five years of confirmed
bachelorhood, made him quite a lion
in rural society.
| While very general, however, IN his
choice OF feminine friends and ac-
quaintances, he seemed fastidious
enough in the selection OF . wife, no
one seeming to meet the requirements
SO we'll as Lucia Grey, whose repeated
retusals only made him more deter
mined.
He had cultivated persistence to
that fine point attained only. as a
general rule, by the widowed of his
sex, but had, as yet, failed OF success.
broad, bland smile.
Lucia's brother was waiting for her
at the door of their small home, and
DR.. Holt declining to enter they ex-
| changed few careless words on the
steps before he babe them goodbye.
| He held Lucia's hand moment at
parting, and she remembered long af-
terward how dry and feverisn his was;
but what firm true clasp his fingers
gave.
The next evening Mr.. Terrell came
for her to drive. She did not want to
go, but let herself be persuaded, feeling
too heartsick ior anything to matter
much.
Once again he offered her the "pur-
pie and fine linen" OF life, and seemed
slow to understand that she could SO
obstinately refuse what some women
angled for.
Poor fellow! There was kind OF
pathos about the way he put his
wealth before himself.
If he had read women better he
would have known that if he were
once loved for himself it would not
matter whether he counted his money
by the thousands or by the tens-by
dollars or cents.
While she was nervous and flushed
with annoyance, they met DIR. Holt
on his way to see some country pa
tient.
He attributed her unusual color to
another cause, and, fancying he caught
look of triumph in John Terrell's
cold blue eyes, accepted the possible
for the actual-as men of his sensi-
tive self-distrustful nature are apt
to do-and concluded she had follow
ed his advice and taken "the man
who could provide for her."
STANCE heart OF man! He had told
her to doit, and had thought he want
ed her to do it.
And now?
He certainly wanted her to be hap.
py, and he thought he could not make
her so himself And yet he was con.
sclous of a terrible pain somewhere in
his breast and a burning desire to
bury John TerrelPs blonde beauty
under heap of his own shining coin
Lucia and her brother Joe had
lived q happy life together, and in his
fond, unselfish love she had never
missed the father and mother who,
dying during her infancy, had left her
to the tender care of the crippled boy,
now q sad-eyed, middle aged man.
A sufficient sum had been left for
their support, and a kind aunt gave
them a home until the little sister was
old enough to keep house for "Broth-
er joe"
Since then they had never been sep
arated. As the days passed on and
Laurence Holt never came again to
the little cottage with the yellow roses
by the gate. Joe noticed how sad and
listless Lucia grew, although she tried
so bravely to be merry and gay as OF
old.
He asked no questions. for he knew
that, while we can sometimes rest
weary limbs, it il hard to know what
to do with tired hearts.
One day some one mentioned,
among other gossip, the departure OF
DR.. Holt for New Mexico, and added,
by ways of comment: "He was al
way a restless sort of fellow-didn't
seem to care for anybody in the world,
not even himself. They say he has
gone for good"
For weeks after this Lucia went
about the house within stunned, help
less look in her eyes like a hurt ami
NAL that does not Understand why it
has been wounded.
The summer passed. and with the
early autumn days she grew
restless. Coming to Joe one evening
she put her arms around his neck as
in her baby days. and told him that
she wanted some work to do, some
thing to keep her busy all the time.
Couldn't she gather around her a
little Kindergarten class of children
and try to fill up her life with duties?"
He knew that duties were cold, I'M
satisfactory things when the heart
was crying out for something alive
and warm, but he let her have her
way, and as day after day she stud
led deeper into child-life, and saw
how in ministering to these little
ones we are in turn ministered to, she
grew more content and less impatient
of life.
One bright spring morning, two
years later, the brother and sister sat
on their porch. "watching the flowers
grow," Lucia said.
Presently Joe got up and limped to
the steps. Lucia, do you see that
peculiar little cloud Wonder? I should